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alexk
Guest
President General of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union Ancel Roget is expected to make a statement on state-owned Petrotrin today in front of the official residence of the Prime Minister at La Fantasie Road, St Ann’s.
Roget will be speaking in the presence of hundreds of Petrotrin workers who are expected to converge at the Prime Minister’s residence to kneel and pray for Petrotrin, workers’ job security, and good governance.
OWTU’s research and education officer Ozzi Warwick said workers were expected to assemble at the residence around 3 pm and they expected a very positive response.
“A prayer service will be held but the president general will make an important statement on the way forward for Petrotrin. There will be some surprises. It is going to be big,” said Warwick.
He said Roget’s statement will focus on solutions and the way forward for Petrotrin from the union’s point of view.
Roget has been at loggerheads with the Rowley-led government which he claimed had failed in every aspect of governance and with its handling of Petrotrin.
Rowley had fired back at Roget warning him against threatening him, but Roget said the union will not be silenced.
Roget has repeatedly called for the removal of Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet and other members of the board. He also accused the Government and Petrotrin executive of failing to adhere to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) established by OWTU and Petrotrin in April to set up a working committee to oversee the restructuring of Petrotrin over an 18-month period.
Roget has claimed that Government intends to privatise Petrotrin and retrench thousands of workers. Last Tuesday, Roget met with the Prime Minister and other ministers at the office of the Prime Minister in Port-of-Spain to discuss Petrotrin’s future and restructuring, but Roget described the meeting as “not helpful”. Meanwhile, citizens remain in a state on anxiety about Petrotrin’s future and this was evident on Friday after there was a barrage of messages and rumours about Petrotrin being shut down, the army taking over Petrotrin operations, workers being sent home, and a fuel shortage.